Means for lubricating rail-joints



B. WOLHAUPTER.

MEANS FOR LUBRICATING RAIL JOINTS.

- APPLICATION FILED my: 192

1,394,597. Patented Oct. 25, 1921.

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BENJAMIN WOLHAUPTER, OF NEW ROCHELLE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE RAIL JOINT COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION 01? NEW YORK.

MEANS FOR LUBRIGATING RAIL-J OIN TS.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 25, 1921.

Application filed July 7, 1921. Serial No. 483,033.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, BENJAMIN VVoLHAUn TER, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Rochelle, in the county of Westchester and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Means for Lubricating Rail-Joints, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improvement in rail joints facilitating lubrication between the contacting fishing surfaces of the bars and of the rails.

A primary object of the invention is to provide a rail joint with adequate means to relieve the excessive binding engagement between the joint bar and the rail, thereby permitting a relatively easy longitudinal movement of the rails. that desirable object, it should be explained that in rail joints of the type wherein there is metal tometal contact, it is necessary to very tightly bolttogether the parts in order to prevent vertical movement between the ends of the rails. At the same time, when metal joints are so fastened together, they admit of little or no movement of the rails longitudinally therein, because of the great frictional resistance between the rails and the joints.

Furthermore, under present practice, the use of high carbon bolts having high tensile strength, when employed particularly with the angle bar type of rail joints, allow for a very great bindingaction in the joint, resulting in preventing ready longitudinal movement of the rails within the joint, under expansion. Accordingly, the invention contemplates a simple and practical means facilitating a thorough and substantially constant lubrication of the contacting metal surfaces in the joint whereby excessive binding action is prevented and ready longitudinal movement of the rails is permitted.

With this and other objects in view, it will readily appear to those familiar with the art, that the invention consists in the novel construction and combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described and defined in the claims.

The distinctive feature of the invention which resides in the provision of means to furnish an adequate lubricant supply for the rail joint, at places where needed, is necessarily susceptible of structural modification In connection with without departing from the scope of the invention, but certain preferable and practical forms of construction are suggested in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a perspective view of part of a rail joint illustrating a primary form of the invention.

Fig. 2 is top plan view showing the head construction of the bar illustrated in Fig. 1.

Fig. 8 is a detailed perspective View illustrating a modified form of the lubricant well, consisting of longitudinal grooves in the head of the bar.

Figs. 4, 5, 6 and 7 are similar perspective views showing various other modified forms of construction that may be resorted to in order to provide lubricant wells in the fishing surfaces of the splice bar.

Fig. 8 is a detailed view illustrating lubricant wells applied to the fishing surface of a rail.

Like references designate corresponding parts in the several figures of the drawings.

As already pointed out, the primary feature of this invention resides in the provision of a rail joint with means which afford an adequate supply of oil or other lubricant to the contacting fishing surfaces of the bar and the rail, so that the excessive binding engagement between the joint bar and the rail may be sufficiently lubricated to permit relatively easy longitudinal movement of the rails. That desirable functioning may be carried out in various forms of construction. For example, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the joint bar designated by the numeral 1, may be provided along its upper outer edge with a longitudinally extending oil groove or channel 2, constituting a lubricant well adapted to receive a supply of oil or other lubricant which may be placed therein by a grease-gun, brush or otherwise, and by reason of its location at the outer edge of the contacting surfaces of the under side of the rail head and the head of the bar, the oil, by capillary attraction and gravitation will work down between the said surfaces to thereby thoroughly and effectually lubricate the same throughout the extent of the ,joint.

In order to carry out the improved plan of lubrication throughout the joint, the joint bar 1, of the example shown .in Fig. l of the drawings, may be properly provided at the inner lower edge thereof, above the base flange of the rail 1% with an 011 groove or channel 3, constituting a lubricant well which is openly in communication with the contacting fishing surfaces of the rail flange and the foot of the joint bar. The location of the said lubricant well 8, is such that the excess oil which is supplied to the upper lubricant well 2, after passing between the head of the bar and the head of the rail, will be caught by the said well 3 and directed between the said lower fishing surfaces.

By way of illustrating the wide range of modification, of which the invention is susceptible, there is shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings, a form of construction in which the head of the joint bar is channeled by any desirable number 01": longitudinally eX- tending grooves forming a plurality of hibricant wells 4. Or, as shown in Fig. at of the drawings, the head of the bar may be provided with transversely extending grooves 5 constituting the lubricant wells, and as suggested in Fig. 5 of the drawings, the grooves or wells designated by the numeral 6 may be diagonally disposed, or the plurality of diagonally crossing grooves 6 may be provided in the head of the bar as shown'in Fig. 6 of the drawings. And according to the xampleshown in Fig. -7 of the drawings, the lubricant wells may be in the form of transversely or otherwise disposed closed-in pockets designated by the numeral 7. In all these forms or" the invention where grooves or pockets are formed in the head of the bar, the oil is held in place and being partly or entirely excluded from the atmosphere, will not so readily evaporate, and will maintain a more or less constant supply of lubricant for the fishing surfaces oi the bar and of the rail.

In all forms of the invention it will be observed that the grooved or well formation at the head of the bar is preferably duplicated at the foot of the bar in order to also provide a supply of lubricant for the contacting fishing surfaces of the rail flange and the foot of the bar.

Another phase of the invention is suggested in Fig. 8 of the drawings wherein therail being considered a part of the joint, may be provided in its fishing surfaces with lubricant wells 8, in the form of closed-in pockets or their equivalents, as suggested in the other figures of the drawings.

From the foregoing, it is thought that the essential features of the invention will now be understood without further description, and changes in the form and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

I claim:

1. A rail joint having a bar provided at its head with lubricant supplying means for the fishing surfaces.

2. A rail joint having a bar provided at its head with a lubricant well.

8. A rail joint provided in its foot with a lubricant well.

l. A rail joint provided in its head and in its foot with lubricant wells.

5. A rail joint having a bar provided with a lubricant channel in its head.

, 6. A rail joint having a bar'provided with a channeled foot to receive lubricant.

7. A rail joint having a bar provided with a channeled head and with a channeled foot to receive lubricant.

8. A rail oint having a bar provided in its head with lubricant retaining grooves. 

